There’s a new display in the Teen Space at the library – all about science and science fiction. If you’re into sci fi, you will know that while it is fiction and thus “made up” most of it has as its basis real science. Cold, hard science. Usually, even if the sci fi is based in a far future (which much sci fi is) and thus the author must rely on their imaginations to present the science that will be prevalent at that future time, what happens is not too different from things we see today. Climate change, natural disasters, pandemics, genetic engineering, computer hacking, cyber-terrorism, and more: sounds like sci fi. And these are things you can hear, see and read in the news every day.

Delve into the science behind science fiction with these lists of non-fiction about real science, coupled with fiction which explores that real science in a made-up world. Whether you’re a bio geek, a hacker, an engineer or just a fan of a good story, you’ll find a book on this list to suit you.

It looks like it’s going to be another gloomy weekend, and I know you’re in the middle of AP exams, all kinds of final projects, and the general mania of the last few weeks of school. You’re stressed to the max with everything you have to remember, so I propose you let go and dive into a book or three that deals with forgetting – whether accidental or forced.

Kyla has been marked as a teen terrorist, and dealt with in the horrible fashion her government deems fit. She’s been slated, as in, clean slate: her memory has been wiped clean. She must start from the beginning, relearning how to walk, talk, and be. This is Kyla’s last chance to reform so she’s instructed to be grateful. Fitted with a bracelet that monitors her every thought – and will kill her if she gets angry or violent – she finds she just can’t adjust to life as a Slated. She is different from the others – plagued by what she thinks are memories, memories that should have been erased. Meanwhile, innocent people are disappearing and it’s becoming harder to believe that only the dangerous get Slated.

Allie and her two best friends, Robbie and Kim, all suffer from a rare disease that makes them allergic to sunlight. They find their strength at night – the only time of day they can be outside and feel free. Rebelling against their confinement, the three start to practice the stunt sport of Parkour, bounding, climbing, jumping and scaling buildings and structures. They push each other harder, each longing to feel the danger of what they are doing. But one night they see something that Allie thinks is murder. Instead of forgetting like she should if she wants to stay out of harm’s way, she takes it upon herself to investigate what she saw. One of those thrilling books that will make you shout at the characters, “Don’t go in there!,” as you frantically turn pages.

Seraphina finds herself in a world she does not recognize. A world that is supposed to be her own. The lone – and unharmed – survivor of a massive plane crash, sixteen-year-old Seraphina has no idea who she is, where she came from, or how she survived what should have killed her. The only thread that seems to connect her to a life she was supposed to have lived is a boy who claims they were in love before she disappeared. How can she trust him when she has no memories? How can she forget him when he might be the only who can save her from those who want her to forget?

This week: three blockbuster books that are so very brand new that they aren’t even on the shelves yet. Within the covers: government conspiracies, cures for diseases both real and imagined, tons of thrilling, page-turning action. Get your holds placed now because these are already super popular!

Suicide is a national epidemic amongst teens and the only proven treatment is known as The Program. Those who return from it come back as blank slates, wiped clean of all memories, never to be the same joyful kids they once were. Knowing that teens who even so much as cry are being rounded up and thrown into The Program to save them, Sloane keeps her feelings bottled up. She lets loose only with James, who has promised to help keep them both safely out of harm’s way. Despite his promises, both Sloane and James recognize the symptoms within themselves so it may be only a matter of time before they are both sent away to lose themselves and their love.

First of all: WOO HOO a new book by Julie Kagawa (author of the first in this Blood of Eden series, The Immortal Rules, and also the Iron Fey series)! No spoilers here: Allison Sekemoto now finds herself separated from the boy she loves, following a trail of blood to save her creator, Kanin, from the psychotic vampire who’s trying to kill him. Allie follows the trail all the way to her own birthplace, where she discovers a truth that could end human and vampire existence. Even immortality may not be eternal.

This is the first solo book by Beautiful Creatures co-author, Margaret Stohl. Expect a lot of the same kind of heart-pounding action (and a little of the heart-melting romance) but in a completely different kind of story. In a future Los Angeles, four teens uncover a huge conspiracy that has shaped their lives when they are separately taken hostage. Inspired and enraged – their emotions run high, a trait they’ve been taught is a bad thing but which might just save them – by what they find out, they must fight their oppressive government to overcome their mysterious pasts and save the future.

The World has ended. Arthur Dent, the only human left, has been rescued by an alien who goes by the name Ford Perfect. To escape being killed in the Earth’s destruction, Ford and Arthur sneak on the Vogon alien’s spaceship. The Vogons find them and, after reading some of their poetry to Arthur and Ford (a painful method of torture because Vogon poetry is the third worst in the Universe), they throw them out into space. Just before they suffocate, Ford and Arthur are picked up by the Infinite Improbability Drive – a valuable spaceship stolen by the President of the Imperial Galactic Government. Ford and Arthur meet smart, levelheaded Trillian; Zaphod, the crazy President of the Imperial Galactic Government and Marvin, the depressed robot. Together they go on an exciting adventure to discover a planet and the meaning of life, the universe and everything.

This hilarious story is full of coincidence, randomness and adventure. The unique characters and unpredictable plot will take you on a journey through the universe.

There are still plenty of new books in the YA section, but this week I want to take a little walk over to a different New Books bookshelf in the library, the one for general fiction (or “Adult Fiction”). Many of you are reading books for adults anyway, so why not get a sense of some extra-specially awesome ones that have come out recently?! Here they are:

Yes, I know, Alexie is also a YA author. But his latest offering was published for a general/adult audience, and is shelved over with the adult fiction. These are short stories by the author famous for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. And they are just as awesome as that book.

For those of you who like a thriller, check out this one about a high school cheerleading squad who find themselves at the center of a suspicious tale. Mysterious deaths, a little in-fighting, and you’ve got yourself a great read. You’ll find it in the adult mystery section.

Science fiction to the max, 2312 takes place on Mercury at a time when disagreement in the solar system threatens its population and that of other near-Earth colonies. This book is a must for sci-fi fans!

Remember, all of these books are found in the adult fiction, mystery or sci-fi sections of Shorewood Library, but all of them are highly recommended for teens!

There are lots of awesome new YA books at Shorewood Library! Which should you read first? How about sequels to books you gushed over, and the first book in a new series that is totally gush-worthy, too?

Blackwatch by Jenna Burtenshaw

In this sequel to 2011’s Shadowcry, Kate Winters finds herself being hunted by the Blackwatch and people she thought she could trust. She’s the only one who can use the magic held within the ancient text the Wintercraft, and could thus be a powerful weapon if her people could only capture her. With the help of murderous traitor Silas Dane, to whom her fate is linked, Kate must find a way to save Albion.

Shadows by Ilsa Bick

Shadows is the second book in the Ashes Trilogy (Ashes, the first book, came out in 2011) and holds even more heart-topping dark thrills than the first. In a post-apocalyptic world, Alex must fight for her life against the demons created from the fall of the world – both the Changed, who want to eat her alive, and the still-human survivors who don’t trust her. As with all great post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction, Bick eerily portrays a world so like our own, yet has been utterly altered in a way that seems almost feasible.

A Midsummer Tight’s Dream by Louise Rennison

On a lighter note, check out this latest installment in Louise Rennison’s hilarious and super-Brit series about Tallulah Casey (Withering Tights is the first book about Tallulah, following on the heels of Rennison’s classic series about Georgia Nicholson). Tallulah is back for another term at Dother Hall, this time as part of the performing arts program. The school is in financial trouble, though, so not only does she have to avoid making a fool of herself while Irish dancing, be a hit in the production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and get better at snogging, but she’s got to help keep the school from closing, too! Laugh after riotous laugh is promised.

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

This is book one of Brennan’s new series The Lynburn Legacy, author of the Demon’s Lexicon trilogy. Kami Glass has her life pretty much held together, even though she’s in love with a boy who seems to exist only in her head (and to whom she is sometimes caught speaking aloud). But when the Lynburns return to reclaim their manor house in Kami’s tiny English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale (awesome name!), Kami is suddenly faced with questions that need answers. Including whether or not she still loves her imaginary friend now that he seems to be a real boy…

Click the book cover images to see whether or not each title is available in CountyCat!

Typically the books reviewed on this site are teen and youth books, but today’s books are two adult titles I think you’ll enjoy.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Wade lives in a near future U.S. where everyone works, plays, and interacts in the online virtual world of the Oasis. When the eccentric billionaire creator of the Oasis dies, his will states he will leave his vast fortune to the person who can find the “Easter egg” he’s hidden in the Oasis. Solving a series of riddles and tests leads Wade on a quest through the movies, music, TV shows, and computer games of the 1980’s, all for the love of the game.

Robopocalpyse by Daniel H. Wilson
When the robot uprising happens people around the world find their lives forever changed. Told from several perspectives, including a few robots, Robopocalpyse is the story of the human resistance to a global robot war. Thought provoking and endlessly exciting, with a movie version coming soon!

One more note, I listened to both of these as audiobooks and they both have fantastic readers!

Fever Crumb is back and in A Web of Air is putting her skills as an engineer to work helping Arlo Thursday build a flying machine.

After leaving London, Fever spent two years on the Lyceum, a traveling theater company. On a stop in Mayda-at-the-World’s-End, Fever discovers a young inventor who is trying to create an aeroplane. However, Arlo believes Fever has been sent to kill him, as other inventors interested in flying are mysteriously dying. Determined to find out what’s going on and help Arlo, Fever gets involved in a very dangerous business.

A Web of Air is the sequel to Fever Crumb. And both are prequels to the amazing Mortal Engines series. Philip Reeve is a tremendous author and if you’re looking for a great new fantasy/sci-fi/action adventure series I highly recommend his books.

Recently I read three amazing books, a fantasy, a dystopian science fiction, and a realistic fiction that all had a strong romance at the core. It’s interesting to read three very different genres take on romantic love in such amazing ways.

The Fantasy:The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
This is hands down one of the best books I’ve ever (yes, ever) read. Karou is a mystery, she’s a girl with blue hair who likes to draw monsters. Well to everyone else they’re monsters but to Karou they’re her family. While Karou is human she has been raised by a race of beings called chimaera. When a mysterious meeting with a beautiful winged creature almost causes her death, Karou wonders what is really going on in the world of the chimaera and how is she involved?

The Dystopian Science FictionAwaken by Katie Kacvinsky
In a world where everything is done online, including school, socializing, and shopping, Maddie is unsure about meeting someone face-to-face even if it’s just for a study group. But when she meets Justin for the first time she knows her life is about to change. Justin is part of an underground movement against Digital School, the online school that has replaced all other forms of school. His group believes people need face-to-face communication and contact. But Maddie’s father is the creator of Digital School…will she work against her family to help Justin?

The Realistic FictionI’ll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan
My heart is happier for having read this book! Sam and his brother were stolen from their mother and taken on the run with their crazy father years ago; all they’ve really known is life on the move. But when Sam meets Emily in a chance encounter he finally sees a reason to want to stay. And Emily has never met anyone like Sam and the instant connection she feels leaves her wondering about this mysterious boy. I’ll Be There is truly an amazing story that will leave you smiling in wonder.